Wonshik pushed open the gate to what seemed like a floral paradise to him.

Trees ripe with fruit hung everywhere and flowers throughout the garden made the air smell fresh and floral. In the middle of the garden sat a classic Asian pond, with lilies and lotuses. A small stream left the pond and traveled through the garden.

He could almost mistake this place for the overworld, before he reminded himself that this was the Underworld.

"Beautiful, right?" Wonshik asked. "It wasn't exactly like this centuries ago, but Persephone tended to this place in her free time." He had a soft smile on his face. "She wanted to bring some life into this place while she was here, and she also couldn't believe how much of a mess this garden used to be."

As Hakyeon looked up at the beautiful garden, his thoughts wandered slightly. He began to wonder why Hades had brought him here, and why alone. He'd simply denied allowing the others to even step into the garden, but when Jaehwan had protested, Cerberus had given a warning growl, reminding him of his place.

Hence only Hakyeon and Wonshik stood in the middle of this, honestly, fantastic garden. 

Wonshik took a deep breath before the air around his head shimmered and a string of thorns materialized, circling his head like a crown.

Hakyeon's eyes widened. "Is that-?"

"The crown Zeus crowned me with?" Wonshik asked. "Yeah, it is." For a moment, serious anger flitted in his eyes. "The sick bastard made it so that I could never remove it, only hide it temporarily."

Hakyeon's brow furrowed. This reminded him of what Zeus had done to Hongbin, scarring him as a reminder that he was to go right back to his eternal punishment. 

Wonshik turned to Hakyeon. "I will ask you again," he said. "Are you willing to offer your services to me in my time of need, regardless of the time or place?"

Hakyeon nodded. "Yes."

"Then."

Wonshik reached out behind him and Hakyeon heard a slight sound, the rustling of leaves and the sound of a pluck before Wonshik drew back. In his hand now lay a bright red, juicy looking round fruit. 

"I will advise you to not eat it, not just because you won't be able to leave, but just because it doesn't taste as good as the ones up in your world," Wonshik advised. 

Hakyeon smiled lightly as Wonshik held out the fruit. He lay the fruit in Hakyeon's hands before straightening up.

"I will call on you when I need you," Wonshik reminded again. "I think you won't be leaving right away, am I correct?"

Hakyeon nodded. "According to Jaehwan, the spell also requires a certain atmosphere, so we'll be making the spell here and then leaving."

Wonshik nodded. "I've already prepared rooms for the four of you."

As he passed Hakyeon, he didn't miss the look that Wonshik gave him.

It was a look of pity, as if something bad was going to happen to Hakyeon, and Wonshik knew exactly what, and he felt sorry for that.

Taekwoon held onto the edges of the table, taking a deep breath and focusing on calming himself down. So focused on steadying himself that he didn't register someone else come up behind him.

A pair of arms went around his waist and hugged him softly, a cheek pressing to his back. He sighed. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this."

"It's okay," she said. "You already warned me about your problems. Guess it would be sooner or later that I'd see you angry."

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he said in a low, almost inaudible voice. His hands began to relax, now not gripping the table tight enough that it threatened to break. One of his hands, left its post and reached for her clasped hands over his stomach, his thumb running over her soft skin.

She shook her head. "You didn't."

"Really?" he asked.

She broke her hold on him and he turned to face her, taking her hands in his bigger ones. "I usually scare a lot of people when I get mad," he admitted.

"You didn't scare me," she said.

"Why?"

"Because I know you wouldn't get angry without reason," she said. "Whatever happened last night must have been huge, in order for you to get so angry."

He sighed deeply, raising his hand to cup her cheek. "It was," he softly said. "But it's over now."

She then looked down. "I'm...uh...sorry if I caused a rift between you and your cousin," she apologized. "I woke up when you guys came in, and I should've known better than to come in."

"You did nothing wrong," he said.

"I don't know," she said. "I feel responsible if something happened between you guys. I really liked Hakyeon and I love you and I don't want to get in between-"

He cupped her face with both his hands, setting his stern gaze on her. "You did nothing wrong," he repeated, much firmer this time. "Hakyeon just...is going through a phase. In a little while he'll be back to his own self, I hope." 

She placed her hands on his, her touch almost melting his fingers away from her face. Slowly, she brought his hands down in between them before she stepped away.

"I'll go make coffee," she said.

Coffee. Coffee was good.

He walked over to the other man gazing down at the world below them with a frown. "Brother?" he asked. "You are still worried?"

Zelos frowned deeply. "How can you be so detached?" the God wondered. 

Kratos sighed. "I worry too, but there is naught we can do about it."

"Our sons, brother," Zelos emphasized. "Our sons. Our boys are being toyed with as if they were playthings, only to fulfill the rabid fantasies of the one we call King." 

"I am uneasy too, brother," Kratos tried to counsel him. "But we are in no position to interfere, lest we test Zeus's wrath."

Zelos fixed him with a look. "You would allow your own son to be used?" he silently accused.

"I dislike this as much as you," Kratos said firmly. "If I had the opportunity to assist my son, I would do so in a heartbeat. But you very well know that the King has specifically asked us to keep a distance."

Zelos refused to answer, looking back down. Kratos placed a comforting hand on the other God's shoulder. "You underestimate our sons," he slowly said. "Even without our help, they shall find a way through the trials set for them. I have faith in them. I believe so should you."

Saying so, Kratos retracted his hand and walked away. Zelos watched his brother leave and meet up with Nike before he turned back to watching the Earth.

He took a deep breath. He'd been asked to stay out and not interfere, but he knew there was still some way he could be of help, regardless of what Kratos felt.

"Beware, my son," he said. "He who you believe to be your friend secretly plots against you."

That was when Hakyeon woke up in a cold sweat.